


Giving Up and Giving In

by mydetheturk



Series: Myde's Whumptober Fics [23]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen, Post-Assassin's Creed III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:49:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydetheturk/pseuds/mydetheturk
Summary: Desmond is so goddamn tired of running.
Series: Myde's Whumptober Fics [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950136
Comments: 7
Kudos: 125
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Giving Up and Giving In

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober Theme: What's a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here?  
> Prompt: Exhaustion

Desmond couldn’t keep running. He only had so long before what was left of the Templars or, Minerva forbid, the _Assassins_ found him. After the Incident, Desmond had gone back on the run, only this time he had more experience than when he was sixteen and on his own for the first time in his life.

Last time, Abstergo found him because he was too complacent, had stayed in one place for too long. This time, Desmond hadn’t stayed in one place for any longer than a week, though the cabin in New York State he’d hid out in at first he’d been in for close to a month.

Most of the month, Desmond was getting used to the _dreams_.

They were unusual – he didn’t recognize any of them from his own memories, and when he _tried_ to make the Bleeding Effect work in his favor, nothing out of the ordinary (for him) happened.

He recognized them, in a distant way, and had the suspicious feeling that if he ran into them, he would be _safe_.

Guaranteed safety was something Desmond had given up on hoping for.

So he kept running, always watching over his shoulder and watching out for _anyone_ who might have been looking for him.

Until one day, nearly six months to the day on the longest day of the year, _they_ found Desmond.

One of the women Desmond had been dreaming about was at the gas station that Desmond had stopped in to refuel his bike.

Desmond did his best not to make a scene by slowly – so slowly – breathing and turning around to leave.

Only to run smack dab into the man that Altair’s journal had called “the Immortal Crusader”.

Desmond drew back, hissing a quiet, emphatic little, “ _Fuck._ ”

The man – _Crusader???!!! –_ looked at Desmond with startlingly blue eyes and Desmond blinked, activating his Eagle Vision.

Blue.

Stunning, clear _blue_ , on both of them, when Desmond looked at the woman as well.

There were hints of gold in the way the woman shone in his Vision, but they weren’t enemies. Neither of them were enemies.

Something in Desmond’s chest loosened up at that.

“Boss,” the man said, not looking away from where Desmond was gawking at him with trembling hands, “we’ve found him.”

Desmond slipped off his Eagle Vision and sank to the floor. _Damn it_ , someone found him.

Steady footsteps stopped beside Desmond’s hunched over location.

“My name is Andy,” the woman said. A hand entered Desmond’s vision.

Against his better judgment, Desmond took it.

“Desmond,” he whispered, letting her pull him to his feet.

The possible-Crusader smiled. “Nicky.”

“We’re like you, Desmond,” Andy said.

“What the fuck is my life?” Desmond said.

“You’re immortal, Desmond,” Andy replied.

Desmond frowned, scar pulling slightly. “Not only do I have to deal with Isu bullshit, now I can’t die. Great.”

Nicky snorted. “Sounds like we both have stories to tell.”

“You could say that,” Desmond muttered. His life was so weird at times, why _not_ be genuinely immortal. He missed Rebecca, Shaun, and Lucy but… being with the Assassins had _literally_ gotten Desmond killed. Coming back was a pleasant surprise, but.

He was just so _tired_ of running.

The bone-deep exhaustion was his life now, and Desmond just wanted to stop running.

In a way, he’d spent his whole life running.

“Alright,” he said. “Alright. I reserve the right to leave if you guys are crazy though.”

Andy snorted. “Fair enough.”

As Desmond followed them out, he wondered what, exactly, his life had in store for him _this_ time.


End file.
